Portable exhaust fumes expeller device

ABSTRACT

A portable device adapted to be connected to the exhaust tail pipe of one or more vehicles located inside a closed building, such as a service and repair shop or the like, and which expells the exhaust fumes from the running engine of the vehicle to the outside of the shop to prevent toxic fumes and exhaust emissions from gathering in the shop, the device including a housing having a multitude of inlet ports with sealing caps associated therewith, an outlet port in the housing adapted to be connected by a flexible hosing to a discharge opening exteriorly of the shop, and a centrifugal squirrel cage type blower disposed intermediate the intake and discharge ports and operable at a speed of rotation to draw the exhaust from the vehicle tail pipe at a greater volume than such exhaust is normally expelled by the vehicle engine thus creating a slight vacuum effect in the system compensating for any leaks or obstructions that may otherwise be in the vehicle exhaust system thus reducing the possibility of exhaust gas escaping into the shop work area from such leaks in the system as exhaust fumes will follow the path of least resistance to be discharged from the system with such path being defined as through the device of the present invention.

United States Patent 1 1 Mertes [451 May 13, 1975 PORTABLE EXHAUST FUMES EXPELLER DEVICE [76] Inventor: Kenneth J. Mertes, 1831 4th St.

South, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. 54494 [22] Filed: Jan. 21, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 434,969

Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh Assistant Examiner-Gregory Paul LaPointe [57] ABSTRACT A portable device adapted to be connected to the exhaust tail pipe of one or more vehicles located inside a closed building, such as a service and repair shop or the like, and which expells the exhaust fumes from the running engine of the vehicle to the outside of the shop to prevent toxic fumes and exhaust emissions from gathering in the shop, the device including a housing having a multitude of inlet ports with sealing caps associated therewith, an outlet port in the housing adapted to be connected by a flexible hosing to a discharge opening exteriorly of the shop, and a centrifugal squirrel cage type blower disposed intermediate the intake and discharge ports and operable at a speed of rotation to draw the exhaust from the vehicle tail pipe at a greater volume than such exhaust is normally expelled by the vehicle engine thus creating a slight vacuum effect in the system compensating for any leaks or obstructions that may otherwise be in the vehicle exhaust system thus reducing the possibility of exhaust gas escaping into the shop work area from such leaks in the system as exhaust fumes will follow the path of least resistance to be discharged from the system with such path being defined as through the device of the present invention.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PORTABLE EXHA I BACKGROUND OF 'I'Hli INVENTION l. Field of the Invention lhis invention relates generally to exhaust devices and more particularly to a novel and improved portable exhaust fumes expeller device adapted to be used by mechanics and the like to draw the exhaust fumes resulting from a running engine inside a closed shop or building to a position exteriorly of the building where they may be safely discharged such that the mechanic may work on the running engine in an atmosphere free of toxic fumes and exhaust emissions within the shop.

2, Description of the Prior Art When working on engines of vehicles it is desirable that the vehicle be located within a shop or building to protect thevehicle and the mechanic from the elements of the weather. with the doors to the shop being normally left open or other suitable ventilation provided for use in the summer in order to keep a venilating tlow passing through the shop to slowly remove the toxic gases and exhaust emissions from the exhaust of the running engines of the vehicles. However, in cold or inclement weather it is not feasible to maintain such a pass-through type of ventilation in the shop when it is desired to maintain a comfortable temperature for the mechanic to work on the vehicles. and so the inc chanic is provided with the problem ofexpelling the exhaust of the running vehicle engine outwardly of the shop in an attempt to discharge as much of such toxic gases and exhaust emissions as possible exteriorly of the shop,

The simplest system now being used by mechanics for the purpose of removing such exhaust gases is to at tach one end ofa hose to the end ofthe vehicle tail pipe with the opposite end of the hose extending therefrom and terminating at a position exteriorly of the shop such that. in essence. the hose provides an extension of the tail pipe of the vehicle. While this is inexpensive it is not fully effective in that the increased length of hosing creates a higher back pressure on the engine such that accurate timing and maintenance of the engine is made more difficult for the mechanic. A further disadvatitagc is that such extension does not allow or compcnsate in any way for leaks or obstructions that may be in the vehicle exhaust system, such as where the mnfllcr is connected to the tail pipe or the like. with the exhaust gases of the running engine thus being tlischarged into the shop through such leaks so that on oc casion the mechanic must still somehow ventilate the air in the shop to remove the exhaust gases therefrom. A second system of removing exhaust gases from a shop involves the permanent installation of suitable pipes. duct systems. fans and flexible hosings which. while being effective in operation, is exceptionally ex pensive so that it is not readily suitable for the smaller mechanic or gas station or repair shop operation. and is of a complex nature requiring continuous repair and maintenance to assure the proper operation thereof.

l'hc present invention rccogni/cs the need fora shop which works on vehicles to cxpell from the shop area the toxic fumes and exhaust ennnisions from the run ning engines of the vehicles. and rccogni/ing the delicieneics and disadvantages of presently used systems lll for effecting some type of exhaust. the present invention provides a novel solution in the form of an inexpensive portable exhaust fumcs expeller device wherein a flexible hose connects the device to one or more tail pipes of one or more vehicles with a fan in the device creating a partial pressure vacuum in such hoses so as to draw the exhaust fumes freely therethrough and direct such fumes through an exhaust tube to be safely discharged exteriorly of the shop.

Further. the present invention provides for safe discharge of exhaust fumes from running engines of vehi cles even though the exhaust systems of the vehicle. such as the tail pipe and mufller assembly. may have small leaks associated therewith in that the device crcates a partial vacuum throughout the complete vehicle exhaust system thus insuring a backward llow of the exhaust gases directly to the device as being the path of least resistance of flow to such exhaust gases thereby bypassing any leaks in the system through which exhaust gases might otherwise pass if the present device were not utililcd.

it is a feature of the present invention to provide a portable exhaust fumes expeller device adapted for use with a plurality ofcars simultaneously or for one car in dividually or for one car having a dual exhaust system. or any combination thereof in a manner to safely discharge such exhaust fumes cxteriorly of the closed shop.

A further feature of the present invention provides a device for safely exhausting fumes of a running vehicle from a closed shop to a position exteriorly of the shop and which is relatively simple in its construction and which therefore may be readily manufactured at a relatively low cost and by simple manufacturing methods. Among the features and advantages of the present it]- vention is the provision ofa portable exhaust fumes expeller device which is possessed of few parts and which therefore is unlikely to get out of order; one which is rugged and durable and which therefore may be guarantccd by the manufacturer to withstand many years of intended usage; one which is ofa portable nature so as to be easily transported between different locations for usage thercat'. one which is easy to use and reliable and efficient in operation; and one which is otherwise well adapted to perform the services required of it.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following descriptron.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification. and in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the portable exhaust fumes expeller device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the portable exhaust fumes expeller device: and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the portable exhaust fumes expeller device.

Referring now to the drawings in detail there is illustratcd a preferred form of a portable exhaust fumes ex peller device constructed in accordance with the principles ofthc present invention and designated generally in its entirety by the reference numeral and is comprised of a housing 11 having a handle 12 affixed thereto for ease in carrying of the device, the housing including a fan blade 14 disposed therein for rotation relative thereto as powered by an electric motor 15 and having a plurality of intake ports 16 in communication therewith with each intake port having a sealing cap 17 associated therewith for covering the port when the same is not in use.

The housing 11 includes a base 21 on which is mounted motor 15 having shaft 22 projecting outwardly therefrom and on which is mounted the fan 14 for driving rotation thereby, the fan being of the centrifugal squirrel cage construction adapted to draw air into the center portion of the fan and discharge the same about the periphery of the fan. Disposed about the fan and forming part of the housing is a substantially circular shaped hollow member having a top surface 24 and side surfaces 25 and which completely surrounds and encloses the fan 14 having blower blades 14 and which is provided with a discharge tubing outlet projecting outwardly from a side wall 25 and being in communication with the fan 14. The housing member 23 is provided with opposed front and back surfaces 26 and 27 respectively with back surface 27 being interposed intermediate blower motor 15 and fan 14 such that the shaft 22 passes through a suitable opening therein for interconnecting the motor to the blower fan, and with the front surface 26 having pro vided therein an opening disposed substantially concentric with the axis of the fan 14 and to which there is affixed a hollow cylindrical member 36 having cylindrical side walls 37 and a closed outer wall surface 38 with the interior of the cylindrical member 36 being in communication with the interior portion 39 of the blower fan 14. Angularly spaced about the circumference of side walls 27 and interconnected in communication therewith are the intake ports 16 which are each comprised of tubular members 40 with the free ends thereof being selectively closed by sealing cap 17, each of the sealing caps being affixed by flexible chain or cable 42 to a hook member 43 such that the caps are retained with the housing in a manner not to be lost therefrom when the same are removed from their associated intake ports when the same are being used.

The electric motor 15 is provided with a suitable control switch 45 and a suitable electrical cord 46 adapted to be plugged into any convenient receptacle to pro vide electrical energy to the motor.

In operation a flexible hose or tubing 50 is provided having one end affixed about the tail pipe of a vehicle with the opposite end connected to a selected one of the intake ports 16 by removing the cap 17 from such selected intake port so that the hose may be detachably attached thereto. A further flexible tubing or hose 51 is then provided having one end adapted to be detachably attached to the discharge port 30 with the opposite end extending therefrom and adapted to terminate at a location exteriorly of the shop so as to safely discharge exhaust gases to the atmosphere outside of the shop. The motor 15 is then energized by switch 45 to effect the rotation of blower fan 14, this drawing the exhaust gases from the vehicle engine in the direction of arrow 53 through the hose 50 and into the intake 6 port 16 from whence it passes through cylindrical member 36 to the center compartment 39 of blower fan 14. The blower fan then expells such fumes by forcing the same from the central compartment 39 past the blower fan blades 14 to the outer circumference of the fan from when the exhaust gases pass outwardly of discharge port 30 through hosing 51 in the direction of arrow 54 to be discharged therefrom exteriorly of the shopv In order to take into consideration any possible leakages or loose fittings between components making up the exhaust system of the vehicle on which the engine is being run, such as loose fittings between the exhaust pipe and the muffler or the muffler and the tail pipe, as well as to compensate for any small leaks in the actual components themselves, the blower fan 14 is of a size and capacity such that a partial vacuum is created in the central compartment 39, cylindrical member 36, intake ports 16 and flexible tubings 50 connected to the vehicle tail pipe, this crating a slight vacuum through out the complete exhaust system assembly of the vehicle thus insuring a backward outward flow of the ex haust fumes through the device rather than such ex haust fumes finding their way through leaks in the sys tem as such fumes take the path of least resistance to be discharged from the engine with this path being de fined as being through the device of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the handle 12 may be of any convenient configuration with the same being permanently affixed to the housing 11 in a manner to permit ease of portability of the device 10 between different locations of intended usage.

Further, it is to be understood that while four intake ports 16 have been shown in the drawings such that the same may be connected by a plurality of flexible tubings 50 to a like number of vehicles for simultaneously handling several vehicles for safe discharge of the exhaust emissions thereof, that the device may be pro vided with more or less number of intake ports all as being envisioned within the scope of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a pre ferred example of the same, and that this invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction as to shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the novel concepts thereof, or the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described the invention. what is claimed l. A portable exhaust fumes expeller device adapted for use with one or more vehieies having their engines running in an enclosed shop and the like for discharging the exhaust gases from such vehicles to a desired location exteriorly of the shop, the device comprising:

a housing having an air tight chamber defined therein and including an intake aperture and an outlet aperture associated with said chamber;

a centrifugal squirrel cage blower fan disposed in said chamber and operable in a manner to draw air into the chamber through said inlet aperture and dis charge said air from said chamber out of said outlet aperture;

an electric motor mounted on said housing and hav ing a shaft extending outwardly therefrom through a suitable opening in said housing to be connected axially of said blower fan to effect the rotation of said fan about its axis in said chamber;

means adapted to provide electrical energy to said electric motor for effecting the energization thereof;

an elongated hollow cylindrical tubing having one end affixed in an air tight manner to said housing inlet aperture with said tubing extending outwardly therefrom said terminating in a closed end spaced therefrom;

a plurality of longitudinally extending open ended hollow pipes spaced angularly about the circumference of said cylindrical tubing and projecting outwardly therefrom, each pipe having one end affixed in an air tight manner to said tubing with the opposite end defining an intake port opening;

a plurality of elongated cylindrical hollow cap members having a closed end and an open end and adapted to be axially aligned with an associated one of said pipes and inserted snugly thereover in a telescopic manner to seal the intake port end of said pipe, a cap being provided for each of said pipes;

a plurality of flexible means each having one end affixed to a hook member on said housing with the opposite end of each flexible member affixed to the closed end of an associated cap;

longitudinally extending open ended hollow discharge tubing having one end affixed to said housing outlet aperture with the opposite end extending outwardly therefrom;

a handle member affixed to said housing and adapted for use in the transporting of the device between locations; and

a plurality of longitudinally elongated flexible tubings each adapted to have one end affixed to a tail pipe of a vehicle with the opposite end affixed to one of said intake ports of said pipes with at least one flexible tubing having one end affixed to said discharge end of said discharge tube with the opposite end extending outwardly of the shop to a location exteriorly of the shop whereby operation of the fan creates a partial vacuum in the chamber which is transmitted through the interconnected cylindrical members and pipe members and flexible tubings to the vehicle tail pipe for the drawing of exhaust fumes from a running engine of the vehicle through the device to discharge the same through the discharge tubing and discharge hosing to a safe location exteriorly of the shop.

2. The portable exhaust fumes expeller device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blower fan is of size and capacity adapted to create a partial vacuum throughout the air tight chamber to assure withdrawal of the exhaust fumes from the vehicle.

3. The portable exhaust fumes expeller device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said air tight chamber is of a substantially circular cylindrical configuration, said inlet aperture is disposed concentrically of one face of said chamber adjacent the interior edges of the fan blades of said fan blower, and wherein said outlet aper ture is disposed in a portion of a side wall of said chamber adjacent the outer edges of said fan blades wherein air is drawn into said chamber through the center portion of said fan blower and passes radially outwardly through said fan blades to the periphery thereof from whence it is discharged through said outlet aperture. 

1. A portable exhaust fumes expeller device adapted for use with one or more vehicles having their engines running in an enclosed shop and the like for discharging the exhaust gases from such vehicles to a desired location exteriorly of the shop, the device comprising: a housing having an air tight chamber defined therein and including an intake aperture and an outlet aperture associated with said chamber; a centrifugal squirrel cage blower fan disposed in said chamber and operable in a manner to draw air into the chamber through said inlet aperture and discharge said air from said chamber out of said outlet aperture; an electric motor mounted on said housing and having a shaft extending outwardly therefrom through a suitable opening in said housing to be connected axially of said blower fan to effect the rotation of said fan about its axis in said chamber; means adapted to provide electrical energy to said electric motor for effecting the energization thereof; an elongated hollow cylindrical tubing having one end affixed in an air tight manner to said housing inlet aperture with said tubing extending outwardly therefrom said terminating in a closed end spaced therefrom; a plurality of longitudinally extending open ended hollow pipes spaced angularly about the circumference of said cylindrical tubing and projecting outwardly therefrom, each pipe having one end affixed in an air tight manner to said tubing with the opposite end defining an intake port opening; a plurality of elongated cylindrical hollow cap members having a closed end and an open end and adapted to be axially aligned with an associated one of said pipes and inserted snugly tHereover in a telescopic manner to seal the intake port end of said pipe, a cap being provided for each of said pipes; a plurality of flexible means each having one end affixed to a hook member on said housing with the opposite end of each flexible member affixed to the closed end of an associated cap; a longitudinally extending open ended hollow discharge tubing having one end affixed to said housing outlet aperture with the opposite end extending outwardly therefrom; a handle member affixed to said housing and adapted for use in the transporting of the device between locations; and a plurality of longitudinally elongated flexible tubings each adapted to have one end affixed to a tail pipe of a vehicle with the opposite end affixed to one of said intake ports of said pipes with at least one flexible tubing having one end affixed to said discharge end of said discharge tube with the opposite end extending outwardly of the shop to a location exteriorly of the shop whereby operation of the fan creates a partial vacuum in the chamber which is transmitted through the interconnected cylindrical members and pipe members and flexible tubings to the vehicle tail pipe for the drawing of exhaust fumes from a running engine of the vehicle through the device to discharge the same through the discharge tubing and discharge hosing to a safe location exteriorly of the shop.
 2. The portable exhaust fumes expeller device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blower fan is of size and capacity adapted to create a partial vacuum throughout the air tight chamber to assure withdrawal of the exhaust fumes from the vehicle.
 3. The portable exhaust fumes expeller device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said air tight chamber is of a substantially circular cylindrical configuration, said inlet aperture is disposed concentrically of one face of said chamber adjacent the interior edges of the fan blades of said fan blower, and wherein said outlet aperture is disposed in a portion of a side wall of said chamber adjacent the outer edges of said fan blades wherein air is drawn into said chamber through the center portion of said fan blower and passes radially outwardly through said fan blades to the periphery thereof from whence it is discharged through said outlet aperture. 